


A Christmas Time Surprise

by what_the_nesmith



Series: I'll Be Home For Christmas [1]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Christmas celebration, Classic Who Secret Santa, F/M, Family Bonding, Friendship, Surprise Christmas Party
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-23
Updated: 2019-12-23
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:13:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21921988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/what_the_nesmith/pseuds/what_the_nesmith
Summary: Jamie and the Doctor give Ben and Polly an unexpected surprise on Christmas Eve
Relationships: Ben Jackson/Polly Wright
Series: I'll Be Home For Christmas [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1578802
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7
Collections: Classic Who Secret Santa 2019





	A Christmas Time Surprise

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for Classic Who Secret Santa 2019, for the--highlanders on tumblr. Merry Christmas and Happy holidays to both them and to anyone else reading this! I did my best to keep everyone in character and also keep things relatively historically accurate.

“Doctor! C’mon, what’s taking you so long?” Jamie shouted into the TARDIS, door ajar so that he could see whenever the timelord dained it appropriate for him to join his companion out in the freezing cold of London in late December. 

Even the coat he’d put on top of his black turtleneck didn’t seem to be doing the trick to keep him warm. He blamed the fact that they’d just returned from a planet composed of mainly lava where Jamie had been dying of heat and now suddenly he was going to catch hypothermia. It didn’t help that the young Scot insisted on wearing his kilt instead of any sort of trousers the Doctor claimed to be much warmer. The Doctor had landed his time and space machine in the alleyway off a main road in London. Cars and people buzzed about, the noise and smells rather foreign to Jamie, a man who preferred the quiet of the Scottish highlands in the 1750s instead of the bustle of London in the 1960s. 

But they were here for a special purpose. A surprise visit to two old friends! And that certainly filled Jamie with a sense of excitement.

“I’m coming, I’m coming, don’t fret, Jamie,” the Doctor’s voice came first, quickly followed by the man himself. 

He was bundled up in some ridiculous coat that was big and fuzzy and brown. It made him look more rumpled than usual and Jamie suppressed a giggle. Instead he grumbled, “Not my fault it’s so cold out.” The Doctor bumbled out of the front door, pulling it shut behind him as he did so and locking it. 

“Well, what would you expect? It’s certainly a nice December day though,” the Doctor took a deep breath and beamed. On his exhale, Jamie could see the Doctor’s breath in big billows of white. 

“I just want to warm up,” said Jamie, hoping the Doctor would get a move on so that they could get to Ben and Polly’s place before he froze to death. 

“Then a nice, brisk walk will help warm the blood,” the Doctor clapped Jamie on the back and then took off, entering the crowded street before them. 

Jamie was hot on his heels, mainly because he didn’t want to get lost. The last thing he needed was to be wandering aimlessly around a place he didn’t know. Everywhere he looked, store fronts were decked out for the holidays. There were lit up trees, Christmas baubles all over the place, adverts luring customers in for some last minute shopping. It was always dizzying to think about how big Christmas would become. Back home, he usually only celebrated the New Year, despite the fact that Christmas had been unbanned before his birth. 

The box he held under his arm began to grow heavy as he and the Doctor wormed their way through the crowds, the Doctor handing out waves and greetings of joy to those who caught his eye. Inside the box were a bunch of little gifts he’d collected for Ben and Polly over the course of a couple of adventures he and the Doctor had gone on. Some of them were spices from a planet obsessed with cooking (it had been insane in Jamie’s opinion) and there was a nice little glass ballerina he’d purchased for Polly in some alien bizarre. 

It truly seemed as if it took them an hour to arrive at the apartment complex that Polly and Ben now called home. Even if when he complained and the Doctor informed him that it had only been about fifteen minutes, Jamie knew it had to have been longer. No way a fifteen minute walk would have his feet hurting this much. They stood by the front door, a bunch of call-buttons stuck to the side with names labeled on them. One of them, Jamie recognized. JACKSON was written in a familiar scrawl next to one of the buttons. The Doctor pressed it and Jamie heard a loud, mechanical buzzing. 

“It’ll buzz to let them know we are here and then they will be able to unlock the doors, to let us come up,” the Doctor explained, to Jamie’s relief. Not that he wouldn’t have caught on eventually, but it was nice to know he’d be getting out of this cold soon.

For a moment nothing happened, and Jamie worried they’d done something wrong. Maybe they weren’t in. Maybe they’d gone traveling and their pit-stop would be for nothing. But then there was a crackle of static and Polly’s voice said, “Hello?” 

The Doctor pressed a different button and said, “Hello, Polly! Guess who’s here for a little Christmas surprise?” 

“Doctor? Oh, Doctor, is that really you?” came Polly’s voice. 

Jamie assumed it must be a speaker somewhere projecting her voice, although Jamie couldn’t see one. Or maybe he just didn’t notice. 

“Yes, and Jamie’s here! Say hello, Jamie.”

“Hullo, Polly,” Jamie leaned towards the rows of buttons, hoping he’d be heard. 

“Ben! Ben, guess who’s here? Hold on, I’ll buzz, then come right up! Oh this is so exciting, no, Ben it’s -” 

Polly’s voice cut off and there was another mechanical buzz, this time louder and Jamie heard the unmistakable clank of a door unlocking. The Doctor gave him a big grin before pulling open the door. He held it as Jamie entered, who was grateful for the warmth of the lobby. 

“Lift or stairs?” the Doctor asked. 

“Lift,” Jamie replied, as he was already in the middle of pressing the up button to call one of the lifts down. 

It didn’t take them long to arrive in front of Ben and Polly’s front door. The Doctor knocked, three sturdy raps against the wood. Instantly the door swung open to reveal a grinning pair of familiar faces. 

“Doctor! What a surprise!” Polly exclaimed, launching herself forward to wrap the dark haired man in a big hug. 

“Coulda given us a ring, eh, but then ‘suppose there’d be no surprise then,” Ben said, equally entushiacially. 

“Well, Jamie and I thought it best as a surprise, yes,” the Doctor pulled away from Polly to shake Ben’s hand as Polly embraced Jamie in an equally big hug. 

“It’s nice to see you again, Polly!” Jamie said as he returned the hug. 

“I’m sure you both must be cold, how far away did you park the TARDIS?” Polly asked as Ben navigated the reunion inside of the apartment instead of in the hallway, making sure to secure the door once everyone was inside. 

“Oh, not too far away. Would have tried to park closer but it is always dicey with the old girl sometimes,” the Doctor replied as the foursome made their way to the living room. 

Jamie was impressed by the decorated tree in the corner by a window. It was a beautiful mix of felt ornaments, tinsel, and golden lights. Underneath there were a fair amount of presents, all meticulously wrapped. Some of them even had bows on top! 

“I’m surprised you even made it on Christmas Eve,” Ben laughed, “Knowing your track record.”

Jamie couldn’t help but laugh too, even as the Doctor pretended to be hurt by the comment. 

“Jamie, can I take that box?” Polly asked as Ben moved to help the Doctor with his overly big coat. 

“Oh, aye, it’s filled with presents for you and Ben,” Jamie explained as he handed over the box. 

Polly’s face practically lit up. 

“Oh, that’s so sweet! Ben, Jamie got us Christmas presents,” Polly smiled down at the box in her hands before moving towards the tree. “I’ll put them with the others then. We’ll have to open them tomorrow, first thing!” 

Jamie shrugged off his coat and put it where Ben had deposited the Doctor’s. 

“You wanna spend the night? Or are you planning on leaving?” Ben asked. 

“Oh well-,” the Doctor began but Polly interrupted him by saying, “Certainly you’ll have to spend the night. The couch is a pull-out.” 

“We were hoping to be invited to spend the night, yes,” the Doctor hadn’t stopped smiling since the minute Polly’s voice had come to life on the speaker downstairs. In fact, at this point, Jamie himself couldn’t stop smiling either. 

“Great! You like Chinese food? That’s what Ben and I do for dinner Christmas Eve,” Polly asked. Ben elbowed her teasingly and Jamie saw them exchange a very quick look between the two of them. 

It was as if he’d been transported back to when they both had been traveling with himself and the Doctor. Flirting and teasing each other, including Jamie whenever they could (not that Jamie minded being left out, he didn’t want to be a part of the flirting anyways since he wasn’t entirely sure how that worked and he wasn’t interested in either Ben or Polly). 

“Duchess is a fine cook though, you’ll see tomorrow when we make breakfast,” Ben chimed in. 

“Anything is good, long as it’s hot,” Jamie sat himself down on the sofa, relieved to be off his feet. 

He felt so happy in this moment. Traveling with the Doctor alone was a blessing most of the time, since he enjoyed the company of the timelord quite a lot, but there was something about having others around. And, anyways, he’d missed Ben and Polly a lot since they’d left them. 

“Yes, that would be splendid,” the Doctor agreed. 

He was busy looking around the place, inspecting the tasteful art on the walls and the television in the corner opposite the tree. 

“Fantastic!” beamed Polly, who sat down next to Jamie on the couch. 

“Anyone want a drink? We’ve got some wine and beer,” Ben asked. 

“I’ll have some wine,” Jamie said, Polly quickly adding that she’d take some too. The Doctor declined a drink and Ben disappeared into what Jamie assumed was the kitchen. 

“So, how have you both been?” Polly wondered. 

“Oh, wonderful, dear, thank you for asking,” the Doctor was bent over by the tree now, seemingly looking at each decoration individually. 

“Aye, just wonderful. We were just on a planet made of lava,” Jamie continued, hoping to impress Polly. 

It seemed to do the trick, as the young woman’s face formed into one of surprise. 

“Really? Made of lava? Did you see it?” 

“Aye, it was all over the place.” 

“I hope you didn’t run into any trouble there,” said Ben as he reentered the living room with their drinks. He handed a glass to Polly and then the other went to Jamie, who took it and immediately took a sip. 

He tried to hide the look of disgust on his face, as it wasn’t all that good, but the laugh Polly gave seemed to indicate he hadn’t done a very good job. Ben sat down on a chair, opening the beer he’d brought for himself. 

“No, no trouble at all,” the Doctor said as he sat down in front of the tree. It seemed he was finished inspecting all of the ornaments. 

“Well that’s good, innit. No dalek or anything trying to kill you, always a good thing,” Ben joked, taking a gulp of his drink. 

“I’d say so,” Jamie nodded his head, forcing himself to down about a half of his own drink to avoid being rude. 

They started to catch up then. Ben and Polly told them all about their new life here in London. Ben was still in the Navy and Polly was now working for another scientist who was attempting to work on renewable energy. They’d bought this apartment together, declaring themselves steady almost immediately after they’d left the TARDIS. 

Jamie couldn’t help but notice how lovingly they looked at one another. It was almost palpable, the love that this home held inside of itself. It made Jamie feel warm all over, as if he now in a way was a part of this love. There were mentions of friends and birthdays. Traveling to America and China, all of which was told by Polly with Ben interrupting to tell a funny story of this or that. 

Then the Doctor and Jamie told their stories. Alien fights, planets from far off galaxies, a future where humans all breathed underwater. It was nice to catch up, to chat, and to hear the laughter of everyone. Jamie got used to the wine eventually and everyone grew a little drunk, expect for the Doctor who stuck to drinking water and later some cranberry juice that Polly switched to. 

Once the sun had set, Polly ordered Chinese food and once it arrived, everyone dug in. They ate in the living room, Ben insisting they watch Christmas movies while they ate. No one really paid attention to the TV though, since Polly and the Doctor got into some sort of serious conversation that Jamie didn’t bother to understand since it was about renewable energy. Instead, he had Ben explaining to him some Christmas traditions and reminiscing about old adventures they’d been on together, back when he and Polly where in the TARDIS. 

Everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves. Jamie helped Polly clean up and then they relaxed some more, finally watching one of the Christmas movies on the television. Jamie didn’t remember the name of it, but he rather enjoyed the story. Polly kept making jokes throughout, which added to Jamie’s enjoyment of the film. As the night grew old, Ben showed Jamie and the Doctor how the pull-out couch worked. It was really interesting for Jamie to see a bed pop out from the couch. 

“Do you mind sleeping together?” Ben asked as Polly went to go fetch some blankets and pillows. 

“No, I think we’ll manage,” the Doctor replied. 

“I’ve shared a closer quarters even with you, Ben,” Jamie said in agreement. 

“Well, guess that’s true,” laughed Ben, clapping Jamie on the back. 

“Move over, Ben, let me put these down,” Polly said as she reentered the living room and bustled past Ben who hardly had a chance to move out of her way. 

“Watch it, Duchess.” 

Polly didn’t respond, instead she went about fixing up the bed. 

As she finished fixing it up, Polly sighed and said, “I still can’t believe you two popped in for a Christmas surprise.”

“It was all my idea,” Jamie confessed. 

“With a little help from me,” protested the Doctor. 

“Well, it was mighty good of you,” Ben flopped down onto the bed with a disapproving look from Polly sent his way. 

Jamie couldn’t help but follow suit. The minute he was off his legs again, exhaustion hit him like a truck. His eyelids nearly shut right then and there, leaving him no other choice then to drift into slumber. But he forced himself to stay awake a little longer. 

“What sort of holiday would it be if we didn’t pop in?” the Doctor beamed, sitting down on the bed himself. 

“Alright, well, c’mon, Ben, let’s go to bed. Leave them to get some rest, I’m sure you both are tired,” Polly held out her hand towards Ben. 

The sailor took it, using Polly’s help to pull himself up from the bed. 

“Aye,” Jamie yawned, trying to talk around it as he did so, “Sleep sounds pretty good.” 

“We’ll have a splendid breakfast tomorrow, and maybe we can see some sights later in the day, once we’ve opened presents,” Polly suggested. 

“We ain’t got anything for you two, just food is all we can offer,” Ben piped up, both of them suddenly looking a little guilty. 

“You weren’t to know we were coming,” the Doctor assured them, “Company is better than anything money could buy.”

“Food is better than anything money could buy,” Jamie countered, which got a good laugh out of both Ben and Polly. 

Goodnights were exchanged and lights were turned off, the tree being included despite Jamie’s protests. “Fire hazard” Ben had said. Under the covers, feeling warm and safe, Jamie couldn’t help but feel like this was the best Christmas ever. He couldn’t wait for tomorrow and he was so glad that he and the Doctor had stopped in for this Christmas surprise.


End file.
